Recently, while on assignment in Phoenix, we had the opportunity to do some amateur "myth busting".  While shooting workers at construction sites for McCarthy Construction’s ongoing "Honesty" branding campaign, temperatures reached 116 degrees. Our curiosity was piqued at lunch after Wesley proclaimed, “it’s so hot I bet we could fry an egg on the pavement”. After sweet-talking the waiter into swiping an egg for us, we waited for what we thought were ideal conditions. We ‘hand tested’ several dark surfaces and decided that the hottest surface was a manhole cover (unfortunately it was in the middle of the street.)

We knew with just one egg that there could be no mistakes, so tensions were high.  A few rehearsals later, we cracked the egg and started the cameras rolling, covering the experiment from all angles – even the client was involved.

The results – raw egg. Have you ever tried to clean a raw egg off of a sewer grate?  It is not easy.
 
So, packing away our knife, fork and salt, we headed to the airport disappointed but satisfied that we finally knew the truth about this urban legend… At least at 116 degrees.

Curt contemplates the progress of a recent ad for AT&T... 

After a hectic winter of commercial work, Mark Katzman was off to Morocco for some adventure and photographic inspiration...

I knew Morocco was a photographer’s playground.  What I didn’t expect, however, was how challenging it would be to capture the full spirit of the place and it’s people in a still image.  It became clear immediately that the presence of my camera sapped most scenes of their genuine character, exacerbating the challenge of capturing the real feel of the place.  This image was made early one morning as the city of Marakesch was coming to life. It is comprised of several exposures I took from a secluded spot in an alley.

To see more images from Mark's trip, follow the link.

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Continue reading MOROCCO TRAVELOGUE"

Last night FK was pleased to host a discussion about the creative process with ReBUS, part of Ad Club St Louis. Photographer Mark Katzman and retoucher Curt von Diest presented case studies showing recent projects. The process from the initial concept all the way through to the final art work was discussed. We also looked at the role of stock photography and the pros and cons of using stock in comp layouts. A dynamic discussion followed.  We all had a great time hosting this event and really enjoyed meeting everyone that came.  ReBUS is welcome back at FK any time.

See more images from the event after the jump.

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Continue reading ReBUS Event at FK"

Thanks to the cool boys and girls over at Marlin Co (and here) for hiring our own Jay Baker to shoot some fun TV spots for Brashears Furniture. 

And the "making of" video...

Photogravure.com | The Art of the Photogravure - Mark Katzman's personal labor of love -  was recently featured as the Webpick of the week on Communication Arts' homepage.  Launched in 2006, photogravure.com has become an invaluable resource for collectors of vintage photography throughout the world.  Please take a moment to browse the collections and articles on photogravure.com.